Chapter Chapter Thirty-One: Recovery

Today, Aaron managed to wake up prior to Nora and made the coffee for the both of them. The plastic tin was mostly empty now, and unless they wanted to start dilating it even more, then they would be out within the week. Though there were two days until the next food allocation, coffee, Aaron had learned, was considered a luxury good. Maybe Nathan would be able to step in here, too – he seemed to always have extras of everything else. The idea of him holding onto a few habits from his days in Alpha, like doomsday prepping, brought a grin to his face. If that were the case, it really played out in Nathan's favor…

The typhlosion joined him in the kitchen not long after, her hair matted ungracefully to one side while her eyes were heavy. She wordlessly pressed against him, receiving his embrace lethargically without any intention of moving. "Well somebody's looking more beautiful than ever."

"Shut up."

"I mean it. I'm digging the hair style."

"Do you want dinner tonight?" she said into his chest without looking up. He laughed, rubbing the back of her head.

"Love you too."

"Whatever," she murmured. He kissed her cheek before carefully handing her one of two mugs. The typhlosion held it to the side, continuing their embrace.

"We're about to run out," Aaron said.

"Crap." She looked up at him, her chin still pressed to his chest. "Nathan?"

"That's what I was thinking."

"Cool." Nora lowered her face once again. For a moment, Aaron remained still as he rubbed her back, enjoying her content breathing. Eventually they parted and Nora leaned against the counter, sipping at her mug while he rummaged through the pantry and tried to plan meals for the next few days.

"You know, whenever this shit is all said and done, I'm really looking forward to eating red meat again…"

"That makes two of us…"

But maybe there was some truth in what Omega was saying: that they should learn to be grateful for what they did have rather than what they didn't. There definitely were people across the world that would love to have steady supplies of rice and flour and vegetables. At least, before the invasion began. Who knew what all was happening throughout the world with news updates only being limited to Omega's own portrayals of current ongoings?

Marcus had finished up his workout that morning when the trainer pulled him aside. "Hey bud," Aaron said. "What would you say to a quick jog?" It had been quite some time since he and Marcus had gone on a morning run – and doing such would give him as good an opportunity as any to initiate a necessary conversation.

If the lucario sensed his hidden motives, he didn't show it. Marcus simply nodded at the request, waiting for him by the door. Aaron slipped on his tennis shoes, kissed Nora's cheek, and headed out the door. It was probably in the mid-fifties when they stepped outside.

'Alright, I assume you want to address the elephant in the room,' Marcus stated once they had reached the end of the block. He came to a stop at the corner of the sidewalk. Grass sprung from between cracks in the absence of the apartment complex's maintenance crew.

'What?'

'You're nervous. Whatever your thoughts are, they're all dwelling on something. Seeing that you had a little heart-to-heart with Brooke last night, I have a pretty good guess as to why.'

'You know, one day that's going to get old,' Aaron muttered.

'Can't help what I am. Now, are you going to say what you have to say, or are we going to keep running and pretend like nothing's going on when we both damn well know that's not the case?'

'Alright, fine. Why did you snap like that?' The lucario's eyes narrowed as if he'd misheard Aaron, and that the reason had been clear as crystal.

'Really? Well, let's see… you bring her in, and from the very first day she's trying to get with me at every turn.' The skin over his nose wrinkled as he bared his teeth. 'Do you have any idea how annoying that is? Especially when you can feel what that person does? And to deal with that for two entire weeks?'

'Look, I get it. She was pushy. But what you said… that was pretty mean. I've never seen you snap at anyone like that…' The rage left Marcus' face after a moment and he sighed. For the first time these past few days, the lucario lowered his guard.

'Yeah, I know. I wasn't trying to be, it's just… I really don't have that sort of interest in her. And for her to be all but throwing herself at me during that time? That's enough to make anyone snap.'

'I'd imagine so. And I know how particular you guys are about stuff when it comes to picking a mate.'

'Very.' He folded his arms, leaning against the streetlight pole. Had he ended on that note, the conversation might have concluded altogether. All there was left to cover, as far as Aaron was concerned, was to ask him to apologize to Brooke. But then he said something the trainer didn't expect at all. 'And I guess it's a shame, too. She's actually kind of cute, but I'm not about to lower my standards and bond with someone who has a past.'

'A… past?' Aaron asked. 'You mean someone who's not a virgin?' Marcus nodded. 'Why would you be lowering your standards?'

'Because for us, a pairing involving someone of impurity is almost unheard of,' the lucario replied. 'Besides, I have no history – so it is fair that my mate should not either.'

'Do you think she's not worthy of a mate?' Aaron asked. 'I mean shit, what about me, for that matter? Brooke at least had some sort of reason for doing what all she did. I, on the other hand…'

'That's not what I'm implying,' Marcus retorted. 'I'm just saying that I'm not interested in someone who didn't have the same sense of honor as me.'

'Then good luck getting anybody inside Nimbasa of all places…' The lucario rolled his eyes.

'Tell me about it,' his voice murmured in Aaron's mind. 'Which is why this whole thing just sucks. It's not fair.'

'What isn't fair? You aren't obligated to give Brooke a shot at all.'

'That wasn't what I was referring to,' Marcus replied. 'But I'd like to end that there. It's not something that can be helped, anyway, and I didn't mean to let that slip.'

'What do you mean?' Aaron could see something was troubling Marcus – something he was determined to keep to himself. 'What's wrong, bud? You know you can always come to me about anything.'

'Not everything.'

'Try me.' Marcus glanced back towards the house as if anyone were watching them. A small, chilly breeze made the trainer wish he had brought a jacket at this hour of the morning, but right now, he was more focused on what else had been going on that he wasn't aware of. The lucario released a held breath.

'I don't know any way to put it that wouldn't sound petty. It's just… I wish that if things were going to turn out this way, the person interested in me wouldn't have been the one with a history. I really thought I had a chance before… well…'

'Before what?' Second guessing everything, Marcus shook his head.

'I just… you're my trainer, and I love you more than any family I ever had in my pack. I don't want something to come between us. I wouldn't ever want that…' Aaron furrowed his brows. They had been thick as thieves for nearly four years now. What could possibly come between them at this point? And then, like a strike of lightning, it hit him. Now, he saw exactly why the lucario had been trying to steer away from this conversation.

'You were interested in Nora.' Marcus didn't move an inch, his eyes darting towards the ground.

'It's nobody's fault,' he murmured. 'I'm not upset or jealous of either of you – I'm happy that you've found someone of actual character after all this time. But… I'd be lying if I said I wasn't trying to take my shot before you two were a thing…'

'I'm sorry man. I didn't know.'

'You don't need to apologize to me for having a relationship,' the lucario stated. 'Besides, I figured that ship had sailed when she made it abundantly clear she was interested in you. But I do wish things had… well, maybe been the reverse. You would have come from a similar background as someone like Brooke.'

'If it wasn't for Nora, being with a pokémon wouldn't have ever crossed my mind to begin with,' Aaron said. Even the thought of such a thing was almost unthinkable a few months ago.

'Right. I guess I just lost the draw on this one.' Maybe that was the case. He hated it for the lucario, but this wasn't something that could be helped. A single question remained within Aaron – one that, even after all that had been said, he felt might be best to withhold. But he needed to know. Besides, Marcus would be able to detect his uneasiness, and after Aaron encouraged him to speak his mind in such an uncomfortable way, it was only fair that he did the same.

'But I do want to ask you one thing…'

'Yeah?' the lucario sheepishly replied.

'When you were warning Nora about pursuing me… was that to keep her from getting hurt, or to help your own chances with her?' Marcus paused, thinking over his response before answering.

'I don't even know anymore. I wasn't trying to mess things up for you. The last person I ever imagined you being with was a pokémon, for Arceus' sake, so I didn't think I'd be hurting your odds. But… I definitely can see how there was some self-interest in what I was doing…'

And looking back, all that he had said made sense. Marcus often averted his gaze if they had an affectionate gesture, though up until now, Aaron had assumed that it was because the lucario just found such things awkward in general.

'Well… I'm glad you told me,' the trainer said, taking his lucario by surprise by pulling him into a hug. 'Look, nothing's ever going to come between us. And I promise, we'll find someone for you one day. Someone who will be more than lucky to have you.' Marcus hesitated for a moment before returning it. The subtle motion of his tail didn't evade the human.

'Thanks, Aaron.'

'But I do want you to apologize to Brooke, though.' He rolled his eyes and huffed.

'You're right. I'll take care of that tonight.'

Zadoc had left him with quite a bit of work throughout Alola, Alexander soon discovered, as if to spite him from his confines. From what he had heard, the former general still had yet to leave the operating table though he would likely be out by tomorrow morning. Admittedly, he regret coming across like a barbarian to the very people he was trying to win over, but whatever the case, it had proven effective – as had sparing Zadoc. Though ritual combat had not been put into practice over centuries among their people, Zadoc had been the first to ever survive it.

Hau and his team, as it turned out, were far from the only people Zadoc's crew had murdered. Once he had broken the ice and seen how convenient it was to do things his way rather than Alexander's, Zadoc had only maintained a few battles here and there to avoid raising suspicions while engaging in his own personal conquest. While traditional methods of warfare were more efficient – especially given Omega's technology – the point of Alexander's conquest was to win the world over to the right path, not to slaughter those who fought back.

He had given an aired speech to the people of Alola and the Sevii Isles, having apologized on behalf of Omega and assuring them that he would fix the damages wherever possible. Those who had been responsible, he informed them, had been brought to justice. But that didn't bring back the thousands of people Zadoc's crew had slaughtered from island to island.

That's what brought him to Hau'oli City today. It was more than a bit frustrating that, due to the actions of one of his own subordinates, he now had to go around and make amends and reestablish life support functions for multiple communities. Though people across the Western world looked at them fearfully, it angered him that the people of Alola had thought that death might be near when they saw Omega.

Solgaleo and Necrozma accompanied him as he scoured through what was left of the city. Groudon helped reform the land over the craters and rubble. Several years ago when he had first stepped foot into Ramzaha he had seen similar wreckage. The only difference was the flora popping up between bricks and concrete instead of miniature sand dunes burying them. How had something like this escaped him? He wondered until learning that power grid had been taken down, effectively removing cellular towers. The more he learned of Zadoc's antics, the more tempted he was to tell the medics to remove him from life support.

But Alexander shook his head. Nothing would change what had already happened. All he could do now was try and repair what had been broken, though he doubted with every fiber of his being that Melemele Island would submit to Omega anytime soon. This would not be swept under the rug, but neither was he about to accept any blame for Zadoc. The former general would be made an example for everyone for his murders and mutiny, banished to the dying world he so desperately tried to escape from.

People who had once been used to the conditions of first world living now were scattered about, almost hiding under crushed buildings in tattered clothes. Again, images of Ramzaha flashed into his mind. Upon arriving in one particular village and ending terrorist control of the area, one of the locals did something he had only read about in old stories: he had kissed Alex's hand – a sign of complete and total devotion. But within Alola, the very people he was in charge of had been the terrorists.

It was late in the afternoon when they got visitors. Gravel crushed under his exosuit as Alexander turned to look at the approaching motors, spitting water in every direction as their white boats sped towards the dock. "Company," he said over comms. He looked towards Solgaleo, who kept his gaze focused on the boats, before heading towards the dock. Alexander kept the pistol at his side.

The rails seemed to radiate in the setting sun as they drew to a halt. There was something different about these people: fifty-caliber machine guns were stationed along the sides and fronts of their ships. He swiftly withdrew his pistol and took cover behind the ferry terminal. "Focus on the gunners if they engage!" he called out. The two airships with him approached the dock from overhead, ready to fire upon the boats should a single bullet fly.

'You are concerned with their weapons?' Necrozma asked.

'Yes,' Alex answered. 'They can tear through our suits.'

'I see. I will take care of them.' He rose into the air and stretched his four wings, sending a pulse of heat towards the intruders. Their guns began glowing; the men behind them were forced to let go as the metal glowed orange, the barrels bending downwards.

"Well, that takes care of that…" He stepped out from behind cover as the newcomers scrambled about. Upon drawing closer, he managed to identify them. Aether. He frowned; hadn't they taken the Aether Foundation months ago? Sure, the higher-ups had fled, but without his artificial island, he should have been powerless – much like most of the actual politicians who had fled when the invasion started.

He holstered the gun. Any handheld arms, minus a Barrett, posed no threat to him. Might as well try for the diplomatic approach at this point. "Why have you come here? State your purpose." It was a moment before a voice answered from the cover of the boat.

"We're here to restore peace to the island you destroyed!" Alexander closed his eyes. Regardless of whether or not the fault was on him, as leader the blame would be.

"As I said over my speech, the man responsible for this tragedy has already been dealt with. We also seek to fix Hau'oli City." Several of the Aether members stood up, knowing that there was no use in hiding behind the ship walls when there were Hydreigons overhead. They clutched relatively useless assault rifles in front of their white protective vests.

"If you want what's best for Hau'oli, then you will leave it!" one man called out.

"That's not going to happen," Alex said. "Omega will not leave an area, only for it to be taken over by an organization with a more than questionable history. Now come; step onto the dock and speak to me like a man."

"How about you follow your own advice and step out of that suit?!" It was a man either in his late forties or early fifties.

"Had I wanted you dead, I could have my men sink those ships with you on them. I could order them to turn up the amplitude on those sound cannons and blow your heads off," Alex stated. "You have no bargaining power. Now get off the boat." The individual in question did as he was told. Though they were in no position of advantage, he didn't let that show, approaching Alexander as though the two were on equal footing. A few of his guards trailed behind, clutching their rifles as if they were of any use. The man removed his helmet, letting it fall to the ground, and Alex cocked an eyebrow. "Well, look who finally decided to show up. How goes it, Mr. President?"

"Cut the shit," Gladion retorted. "You've done enough damage here."

"Funny, coming from the boy whose mother nearly destroyed the world with her obsessions."

"And you haven't?!" He waved a hand for emphasis. "Look at what you've done to the entire planet! You've toppled governments all in the name of some obscure greater good."

"Obscure?" Alex asked. "I've said from day one what my plans are. If you are confused as to my goals, then either you have not been listening or you are in denial, likely because the mission of Omega contradicts your own."

"I don't really care what your goals are. Anyone who demands the whole world kneel to him is insane."

"I have never once ordered people to kneel to me. Only to them," he said, motioning towards the legendaries behind him.

"Yeah, that's not going to happen, either," Gladion stated. "I don't kneel."

"So it seems." Alexander watched as the Aether president's hand stood close to his belt. He couldn't possibly be serious, could he? But as if to confirm his suspicions, Gladion continued.

"You've cowered behind your admins this whole time, having them do all the fighting. What about you, though? What are you capable of?"

"You're seriously trying to do this," Alex said, stifling a laugh. "I let my admins fight for me because I'm often more focused on saving lives. If I recall correctly, your mother once did something similar before going off the rails. Tell me, did this apple fall far from the tree?"

"How about you pull out one of your pokémon and find out." This time, Alex's laugh wasn't contained.

"You actually are crazy. What makes you think the entirety of Alola would even stand a chance against Solgaleo on his worst day?"

"Because he isn't a god," Gladion retorted. "If I win, you leave Alola forever."

"I'll do you one better. I won't use any legendaries at all. I'll just use a single member of my personal team. Just one. How does that sound?" Gladion paused, looking over his shoulder towards one of his associates. Alexander knew that the Aether president was onto him – at least, somewhat. There's no way somebody would take such a risk without having calculated it. "But if I must gamble, so will you. If I win, I'll be taking your company."

"Sir, this is a bad idea," one of the Aether guards, a woman, stated.

"Be quiet, Mia." His hand gripped one of the pokéballs and pulled it off the belt, metal scraping against its plastic holster. "Nobody's that good." Alex grinned. The last person who had underestimated him had immensely regretted it. "Fine. I look forward to seeing you leave this island." With that, he threw out his first pokémon. The smile on Alex's face dropped into a grimace as the pokémon roared out its challenge.

"You dare bring mankind's greatest heresy in front of them?!" He pulled out his own pokéball swiftly, gripping it tightly in hand.

"Kind of hard to commit heresy against a god that doesn't exist." He had played his best card there. No doubt he was trying to rile Alexander up, causing him to make bad decisions in battle. But that trump card was a double-edged sword. What would have been a quick battle had now become personal.

"Look what happened when your people – your company – tried to play god. They sought to recreate the Creator. All they made was an abomination." The silvally released a growl – a warped noise that sounded like creaking metal. The chimera took its fighting stance as if it were about to face off against Alexander himself.

'That creature cannot help what he is,' Solgaleo gently said.

'But neither should it have been built to begin with.' His own pokémon materialized in front of him, sizing up the opponent. "If you know what's best for you, you'll get back on that boat."

Moonlight filtered through the trees as Marcus pieced together what he was going to say. And the more he thought on the matter, the more he found that he hardly knew how to even approach the topic. He hadn't been thinking clearly when he said what he had, being pushed to the breaking point after two weeks of Brooke's rather forward comments. Some of her advancements in private, even after he had turned her down multiple times, still made him angry if he dwelled on them. After tonight, though, he wouldn't have to worry about that anymore.

As Aaron had said, he had found the floatzel outside, laying against one of the beach chairs surrounding the resort-style pool. After months of not being cleaned and adopting a dark, murky green color, someone finally had the sense to drain it. He slowly approached the floatzel from behind.

"I bet this was quite a sight when it was full," she said, not even turning her head.

"Yeah. Tried swimming in it once. Not really my thing, and the people were always loud."

"Not much a swimmer?"

"Not really. Lucarios more or less sink." He tapped the spike on his chest with the one on his hand. "Metal and all."

"Ah." She was unable to conceal a small laugh at the thought.

"Hey, but at least I can swim, right? Even if it is more or less paddling like an idiot…"

"Mhm. There's that I guess." She didn't sound miserable, so that had to count for something, the lucario reasoned. This might not go as poorly as he thought. All he had to do was apologize for his actions and they'd be done here. The awkward tension within the house would fade away and everyone could focus on the other problems at hand – like the fact that Undella was next on Omega's list.

"Heard they had quite the pool over at the water gym." Her slight smirk dropped upon hearing those words, and he felt a jolt of sorrow through his sensors, though she tried just as well to hide it.

"Yeah, it was something." The floatzel forced a laugh. "They had these stupid lily pad platforms that would carry challengers throughout the facility."

"That sounds sort of annoying," Marcus stated.

"But not when one of them fell," she countered, a pointed tooth appearing between her lips. At that split second, there was no façade. "When that'd happen, everyone in the gym would look at 'em and laugh."

"I bet," Marcus said, taking humor in the thought.

"Of course, sometimes we'd get the trainers who couldn't swim. That's where… well, pokémon like me saw a bit of action. At least, when we weren't being warm-up battles for the challengers prior to the leader…" She shook her head dismissively. "I don't miss that place one bit."

"I can tell." There was a pause. It was nice outside. No airships in the skies, stars visible in the diminished light pollution throughout Nimbasa. On a night like this, one might even forget there was an invasion in the first place.

Brooke was the one to break the silence. "I wasn't tryin' to upset you with… well, everything these past few weeks. Thought it was part of the chase and all, you know? But I guess you weren't playin' the game."

"No, I really did mean it when I said I wasn't interested. Not trying to rub salt in the wound or anything…"

"I get it," Brooke replied. "I'll keep my distance. I'll leave ya be." He stifled a sigh of relief.

"You'll get your chance with someone. Maybe after all this fighting is all said and done," the lucario said. "And we've always got that last slot to fill."

"Mhm." Even though he could tell she wasn't too stoked with that information, he held firm to the fact that she wasn't obligated to that shot with him – just as he hadn't been with Nora. "I… don't have any right to ask you this, but could you answer me one thing?"

"Go for it." He took the adjacent beach chair. Funnily enough, seated at the same position, his legs only extended half a foot beyond her own. His species was relatively short for a biped, all things considered.

"Would you ever be open to changing your mind?" It was then Marcus learned what exactly Aaron had felt when Nora confessed. That feeling of being cornered between two bad answers. Only, in his case, one would be a lie that he really didn't wish to tell while the other would give her the inconvenient truth.

In the end, he chose the second. "Not really." She nodded, looking away. His aura sensors picked up on a masked disappointment, though only barely. It seemed like she was much better at hiding it than most people. Almost good enough to convince herself, even.

"Can I ask why?" she asked. "Not that it's any of my business. I guess… maybe it might help for the next person, ya know?"

"I don't think anything I can say will help in your case," he replied. "It's just… well, it's a lucario thing. A matter of pride." It didn't take her long to piece together what he was saying.

"Ah…"

"…Yeah." The silence this time was far more potent. Painful, even. That's what he felt from her end of things, at least. The pain of not being able to outrun or erase a history. Someone like Aaron had gotten lucky. Maybe that's because he was a guy. Double standards were dumb, but they did exist. Brooke's only issue now, all other things equal, was being on the losing end of that double standard.

"I was hoping I could escape all that," she said. Her voice was coarse. A small sniff. Marcus turned to face her, but she was looking away. "I thought… maybe I'd find someone who could overlook my past mistakes. Find a second chance and finally settle down after…"

"You don't owe me an explanation," Marcus said. Again, that smile, but it was just as forced as last time. Her lips quivered. Brooke continued as if he had said nothing at all.

"I guess… it was just nice to feel loved, you know? And that helped. For a bit, at least. But it would always last until they found their next fling, or until those brief little sparks of feeling ran dry, and I'd go to find someone else." The lucario looked down. This wasn't what he prepared for – not at all. Right now, he hated the abilities that came with his species. Part of him wanted to escape. For her to stop – to just end there. "Do you know what that's like? To go your whole life, just wanting someone to approve of you?" It seemed as though the two of them might not have been as different as he thought. His throat felt dry, and he offered a tiny, cracked reply.

"…Yeah."

"Maybe it ain't the best excuse," she concluded. "But I guess it's the only one I've got…" The floatzel sat up, legs dangling over the edge of the chair. Her paw briefly brushed across her cheek.

"Hey… I'm sorry for what I said."

"I'm just sorry that it's true…" Brooke looked down and planted her face between her paws. Marcus grit his teeth. At this very moment, being any other species would have been preferable. He wiped his own eyes.

"It's not. You aren't your past mistakes. You're better than that. Alright?"

"A-alright."

"I mean it. Don't give it another thought. As for approval, all of us care for you. Maybe it isn't the way you were looking for, but we do love you, alright?" She nodded slowly.

"Even… if I can be a bit annoying at times?" she croaked, trying to insert some humor into the situation.

"Are you kidding? We love Krista, right? And she can be really annoying," Marcus stated. They both laughed at that. That quick, cheerful breeze was a welcome feeling – something that he sought to hold onto after what he had just felt. He hopped off the beach chair and approached her side. "C'mon. Let's head back inside." Brooke nodded and brushed her fur a bit. No sign of the tear streaks at all – a neat perk that came with being a water-type.

"Marcus?"

"Yeah?"

"Can I hug you?" He was caught off guard until she elaborated. "You know… the way Aaron or the others would?" The lucario hesitated for a moment before a smile appeared on his face.

"Sure." And that's all it would be; he was determined of that. But when the floatzel's chest carefully touched his, wary of the spike, Marcus froze for a split second. There were two distinct feelings he detected: a sense of contentment from her – much appreciated after their little heart-to-heart. The other, though, was something else. The tiniest of sparks. One that, had he been anything other than a lucario, might have even gone unnoticed by him.

Only issue was that the second feeling wasn't hers.

Alexander knelt down and picked up the discarded helmet from the shoreline. It was light and seemed to have been made of some sort of polymer, having fallen from the dock during the battle. He carried it back to his exosuit, having left it near the beach's edge to avoid sinking into the sand given its weight. Once he arrived within the city itself, Groudon hardly paid him notice as the titan continued to level out the debris. They would need to start anew following Zadoc's secret rampage, but there would be order. The citizens that remained of Hau'oli would not be the first to witness Omega's efficiency in bringing civilization, nor would they be the last. He dropped the helmet into a crater yet to be filled in and continued towards his ship.

Behind him, the gentle tide caressed the beach, covering and carrying away the remnants of the dock.

A/N: Special thanks to FuryWrites for beta reading this chapter.